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12/22/08 The snow has hit
furiously this year, but once the East winds died down, the
house has stayed fairly warm, even with the occasional power
outs we have had. Unfortunately, one of our hay barns did
not fair so well. The ice & snow caused it to
collapse. Luckily no one was in the barn but the hay we
were storing for the cows to eat.
1218/08 MERRY CHRISTMAS! This will be our first Christmas in the house. So far living in the house has been wonderful. UNTIL.. we lost power for about 6 hours and the house got REALLY COLD! It was a whopping 42 degrees in here. We ended up moving back into the manufactured home temporarily while this house warmed back up, it took a couple of days (the high temperature outside was about 18 with a very strong cold east wind), and some more "winterizing" by Kass and the house is now a toasty 64! We have almost completed the decking on the lower deck, weather, time and finances have caused that to come to a halt for a while. We are supposed to be getting the rest of the gutters on the house sometime in the near future (waiting on weather again) and Kass has been looking for material to finish the bathroom in the Basement. Other than that, it's life as usual . <S>
1218/08 MERRY CHRISTMAS! This will be our first Christmas in the house. So far living in the house has been wonderful. UNTIL.. we lost power for about 6 hours and the house got REALLY COLD! It was a whopping 42 degrees in here. We ended up moving back into the manufactured home temporarily while this house warmed back up, it took a couple of days (the high temperature outside was about 18 with a very strong cold east wind), and some more "winterizing" by Kass and the house is now a toasty 64! We have almost completed the decking on the lower deck, weather, time and finances have caused that to come to a halt for a while. We are supposed to be getting the rest of the gutters on the house sometime in the near future (waiting on weather again) and Kass has been looking for material to finish the bathroom in the Basement. Other than that, it's life as usual . <S>
11/08/08 The rainy season has begun here in Oregon, so our work has moved indoors (for the time being. still need to get decking on the deck). Kass has been working on curtains and shades for the house. This week she sewed shades for the Parlor, seasonal Valances (snowmen) for the Dining room and "cowboy" themed curtains for the Den room (needs more fabric to finish this room.)
10/28/08 This last weekend Rick & Kass with the help of her dad Fred Kirchhofer, her son Rick and his friend Brian Shanniak, and Big Rick's friend Ezzat Hawash, completed the framing for the lower deck of the house!
10/22/08 We have began to settle in, it is starting to feel like home. We have been finishing up some little projects and have began working on the deck. Hopefully this weekend Rick's band mates will be here to help put the structural portion of the lower deck up. The upper deck will have to wait until next spring or summer ( or when Finances dictate it can be done)
09/28/08 This weekend Rick
& Kass assembled the scaffolding along side the chimney
chase and with help from Papa Fred, the chimney chase is now
completed! Rick also finished the painting on the trim
& window trim outside the Den room so that wall looks
completed finally! We also celebrated Jayden's 7th
birthday on Saturday. Also accomplished this weekend, Rick
installed a phone down in the Basement so we can answer when
people call us and we are down there. We ran a new phone
line and intercom line for the Basement as well and have started
laying out where we want lights & outlets so we can run any
overhead wiring before installing the insulation in the ceiling
to help hold in the radiant floor heating for the upper
house. After putting in all the pieces of sill plate that
were left out when the house was up on beams from the move, we
sealed all the remaining cracks & drafts in the foundation
to help retain all our heat as well. Finally a long and
thorough cleaning of the Basement and Rick & Kass were ready
to call it an accomplishment and go relax.
09/25/08 Other than still moving in and adjusting to life in our new (old) home, we haven't been doing too much, unpacking, organizing etc, have taken a lot of time and we still are not done. Fred and Kass have been working on installing the septic pump system for the Basement bathroom and getting things organized to start building the frame of the lower deck. Kass also borrowed a neighbors scaffolding to start working on the exterior just in time for it to start raining. Kass decided that she really wanted to stay warm this winter, so she got insulation for the Attic and some weather stripping for windows and doors. The Attic is now nice and cozy all tucked in with it's R30 insulation.
09/08/08 We finally did it! On September 6th, 2008 we moved into the farm house! Beds and clothes, food and appliances were all in and we hunkered down for a good night's sleep together. Jayden wasn't too sure about sleeping in his room alone, so he spent the night with Mommy & Daddy. <G> First meals were cooked, first baths and showers were taken, television was enjoyed and cries of "Where the heck did we put that away at?!?" were heard the entire weekend. Some picutres have been taken and will be updated into pages as I can, but we're still fine tuning everything in the house and the web page is a little lower on the priority list. Special thanks to neighbor Erin McCart for help with moving the refrigerator and our large mattresses!
09/03/08 Oh my, has it been that long? Needless to say our plans for moving in by September 1st did not bear fruit, but we are sooooo close. In the last few weeks we have hooked up the telephone lines, cable TV, the intercom system, built a closet in the attic space next to the Master Bedroom, made curtains for most of the upstairs rooms, bought a new washing machine and installed it and our old dryer in the Laundry Room, completed the pipes & ditches for the rain drains, prepped the area for the sump pump to go in, and moved many belongings over to the farm house. In fact, making dinner tonight, Rick had to go out to the Kitchen in the old house to get some ingredients! We are truly hoping that this weekend will see us in to the old house finally! Yesterday, we celebrated Kass' birthday with her kids and neighbors Erin & Rachel McCart. Jayden also started his first day of first grade. Last Saturday Rick's band played their first gig since re-forming after four years of not playing. It has been very busy & crazy lately, and we're hoping things will settle down soon.
08/10/08 After a week at the Cressep Bay Campground by Mt. St. Helens, we have returned home and are looking into hooking up the phone lines to the farm house today. Kass' son Rick came out around 11:00 today and we discovered that while we bought the box to mount in the utility room, we did not buy the unit to go into it, so will have to put this project off till another day. Over the past month many things have made their way out to the farm house. It's like we are moving in via osmosis. Pictures, tables, wall hangings... things just keep showing up in the old house. <grin> Neighbor Erin McCart came by and gave us a hand getting the armoire into the Master Bedroom however, so we did at least get something accomplished.
07/17/08 Hay is done for the year! Now we can focus back on the house. Kass arranged most of the furniture in her Parlor and Living Room, both rooms need just a small amount of molding and they will be completed. Kass' digital camera developed a glitch and is in the shop, so Rick took some pics with his cell phone to try and keep things updated. This weekend we are not sure if we will move more stuff into the house, or work on painting the outside of it some!
07/06/08 With much sanding during the week Kass finished prepped the floors in both the Living Room and Parlor. After a coat of paint thinner was left on for 24 hours, we put down the first coat of Waterlox on both rooms. Pictures are available in the room pages. We also set up a scaffolding outside the Living Room windows to begin painting the exterior wall if the weather holds up. Small steps, but each day more gets done!
06/29/08 It's that time of year again; HAY SEASON! We've hauled in a couple loads but in between we're still trying to get the house done. The Living Room and Parlor have had the floors sanded and after a couple touch ups, we will be putting on a coat of paint thinner to prep them, then applying the Waterlox! The Entryway has been sanded a little and Kass did a section with her heat gun. We hope to have it done soon as well. We also found a supplier for the base cap of our floor molding. Once we place an order and it comes in we can stain and put it into the Master Bedroom to finish that room off!
06/15/08 After the party we had a little decompression time. Pretty much did nothing at all on the house for a week. Bills are stacking up and we're looking into options to cut expenses. Meanwhile, over the last week, we cleaned out the Living Room and most of the Parlor to prepare for sanding the floors. Big Rick installed the pull latch & handle on the pocket door into the Laundry Room, a CO2/Propane monitor in the Basement, and he installed the door in the Master Bedroom to go out onto the deck, and repaired the siding along side of it. Kass was feeling a little down this weekend, she managed to do a little caulking around the Kitchen door and then helped Rick put a piece of plywood over the corner of the Basement where the deck will eventually go. For Father's Day, Kass & Jayden found a replica tin of Campfire Marshmallows which he loves and will put out in the Kitchen later on.
06/06/08 While Big Rick had to go to work today, Kass, her parents, her kids, and her daughter's boyfriend cleaned the house out, and finished a lot of touch ups. Three more rooms are done; the Bathroom, the Kitchen and the Laundry Room! Two more nearly so; the Parlor and Living Room! A lot of the little things got done today like trimming the bottom of the Laundry Room door and bits of molding throughout the first floor. Tomorrow we have a party IN the old house to celebrate both it's condition and Kass' daughter Alex Close graduating from Colton High School this year!
06/04/08 We started putting in flooring in the Parlor and Living Room last night. Sadly, it is looking like we didn't get quite enough from Brian & Deb's house at the coast, and will need to pick up some more to finish the rooms, but as of the moment we're not sure how close it will be!
05/29/08 We officially have HEAT in the house!!!! The propane fired boiler was fired up at 4:30PM today! We also now have HOT WATER!!!!
05/27/08 Quick addition, the Fireplace mantle was completed by Dave at Rocky's Furniture in Estacada, OR. Pics on the Living Room page!
05/26/08 A very busy weekend! With three days, we completed three rooms and nearly two more! The Den Room, the Spare Room and the Hallway are all done now except for some very minor touch ups on the paint. The Kitchen will be done as soon as we finish putting in the old wood cook stove, and the Laundry Room will be done when we repair the pocket door that wont quite open due to the floor tile. We cleaned up a lot of the house, and Kass' sister Lisa came out and mopped the upstairs for us. Fred welded a frame to build a heat shield to go behind the wood cook stove in the Kitchen which we got halfway tiled before running out of bricks & steam. <grin> We are having the inspector come out Thursday for the propane, and if all is well we can heat the house and acclimate the flooring to put in the Living Room and Parlor! Things are looking very good for the High School Graduation party planned for June 7th for Kass' daughter Alex!
05/18/08 With Kass & Alex away for the weekend, Rick plunged on a bit on his own. After sanding most of the trim for the Parlor, Den & Living Room he removed and sanded the outside of the Master Bedroom door. At one point he was excited for while sanding he uncovered writing on the back of the header for the china hutch! It was something of a let down when the letters came out to spell "Headers". <laugh> But as he was sanding the Master Bedroom door, words began to leap out as at some point in the past someone had carved writing lightly into the door. At first he thought it was his imagination, but sure enough he found the words "Lovely Rita Meter Maid", a song lyric from The Beatles' "Lovely Rita" on the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album. To prove he wasn't imagining it, across the top of the door, more sanding brought out the words "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", yet another song from the album. Pictures are available in the Master Bedroom page. Also this weekend Ferrell Gas came out and installed out propane tank and hooked it up to the now approved line for the house. When the house was first moved here, Kass put a picture on the website (See "The Big Move") and named the house Lucy. Once the tank was installed, I had the pleasure of sending Kass a phone text message "Lucy has gas".
Left: On May 17th, 2008. Lucy had her first 'case' of gas.
05/11/08 Lots of finishing touches were done this weekend. Nearly completed are both the Laundry Room and the Spare Room. Finishing the closet door will complete the Spare Room, and once we find a supplier with the base molding trim we need, we can complete the Laundry Room and possibly the Kitchen as well! Lots of pictures were put in today, thanks for being patient! This week Rick was running lights for the High School's spring musical, and next weekend he'll be doing that while Kass & Alex head for the State Final for Colton's Oregon High School Equestrian Team! Probably wont see a whole lot on here for the next two weeks, but we'll try to drop a line as things get done. We are expecting our friend Dave to complete the Propane lines very soon, and once we get it approved, the tank installed, filled and working, we can heat the house and acclimate the flooring for the Living Room and Parlor!
05/08/08 Many updates, but still no pictures. Fred and Rick hooked up the remaining water lines to the radiant floor heating manifold to finish off that project. Meanwhile Kass has painted and installed most of the trim in the Kitchen as well as painting and priming the inside of the exterior door. Meanwhile, Fred & Kass contacted a nearby resident who also happens to work with gas lines for a living, and he's been hired to help us install the boiler, water heater and gas lines inside the house. With Fred's help he's installed most of it, and Rick picked up some parts needed yesterday so hopefully it can be finished up Friday or over the weekend! Rick cleaned out the Master Bedroom, so now we can sand the floor and prep it for painting. Kass used a piece of floor molding from another room to finish off the trim on Alex's closet. Her room only needs the PC/phone jack installed, and her bedroom door a coat of paint on the exterior side of it, so we are considering that room finished!
04/27/08 Last week Kass & Alex went to the final OHSET meet of the year, and Alex got five medals! She will be in several events at the State Finals next month just before her graduation! Over the last week and this weekend much has been done. Sorry, no time for pictures but I will try to list all the things we got accomplished! Kass finished sealing the Kitchen floor, then she and her dad took the old wood cook stove from Fred's mother and had it inspected, and it's all ready to go! We put it in the Kitchen and disassembled the upper portion to have Fred fix a weld on it; Rick & Jayden cleaned it out, including the newspaper & Corn Flakes box from 1973! Rick & Kass finished the molding in Alex's room; except for one piece of floor molding we need to buy for the new closet. Rick repaired the hole in the Attic floor, and then installed the main door in the Spare Room, and the new doorplate on the Main Bathroom door. Kass cleaned up the floor and she & Rick installed the pedestal for the sink. Fred ran some wires in the Basement for additional lighting down there and the final smoke detector boxes as well. Rick installed the last smoke detector we had on hand, but we still need two more to finish the house. Rick & Fred also hooked up the radiant floor heating to the manifold except for one circuit, which they need a "T" adaptor to join two lines together first. Then Kass & Fred took turns on the tractor filling in the last of the ditches around the house. Neighbor Erin McCart came over with his tractor and helped level the driveway area behind the house. It's so nice being able to walk all the way around the house! We're so used to looking out the window and seeing the ditches, it's kind of odd seeing smooth ground again!
04/13/08 This weekend Rick & Kass managed to get all the tiles put down in the Kitchen & Laundry Room. Rick cut all the specialty tiles for the room and also cut 150 brick tiles to do a section in the Kitchen where the wood cook stove will go. Kass also got a coat of sealer on the Kitchen floor and two coats on the fireplace hearth in the Living Room plus she got the tile grouted as well! Rick painted Alex's Bedroom floor as well. We also picked up an addition to the family, a new dauschand puppy named Dante.
04/06/08 Kass didn't let the weather hold her back too long, This weekend we laid most of the kitchen floor. We borrowed our neighbors wet saw and went to work on the Slate! Rick was in charge of cutting and kass in charge of laying the slate. It was a time consuming and back breaking job! (little hard on the knees too!) We have about 10 sq. ft left to do and then we can start to grout! Earlier this week, Kass cut several 12x12 slate tiles down to 3"x6" pieces and completed the fireplace hearth and got started on the face of the fireplace too, then the weather turned chilly again and the rest will have to wait for a little warmer weather or heat in the house <S>
3/28/08 Soooo, Kass burned a week of vacation to get some things done on the house during spring break....but it seems mother nature had different ideas.. it SNOWED!!!!. She did manage to finish the Half Bath, paint the floor in the little Spare Room upstairs, paint some molding, get the septic connections inspected (and passed), pick up the stuff to lay the slate floor in the Kitchen (which was her original goal for the week) and take Jayden to his first horse lesson.
03/24/08 Ever have one of those days, when nothing goes right? Well today started that way for me, tried to hang the light fixture in the Bathroom, put it all up and turned it on..nothing.. so I took it apart..and dropped the porcelain socket and it shattered, then I tried to install the last two under cabinet lights, put those up, but I hit the power cable with the rotozip when I was cutting the hole for the box to go in and nicked the wires, not sure how to fix that one yet, will defer to dad..I did mange to sand the front Spare Room floor today, so maybe tomorrow (if all goes well) I can get it primed and install the light fixture in the Laundry Room. I know someday I will probably laugh at all of this...<S>
03/22/08 Kass & Alex went to the March OHSET meet last weekend. This weekend started off on a very sad note; Kassandra's dauschand Tucker was accidentally hit by a neighbor's car and killed Friday evening. He was not in great pain after being struck and simply stopped breathing en route to the veterinarian. We are all in mourning for the loss of our little family member. Saturday morning, Fred, Kass and Rick managed to dig up and tie in the second story septic drain into the septic line. If we are lucky we can pass inspection next week and fill in all the ditches around the house finally! We also hung new lights in the Den Room, Refrigerator area and Alex's room over the last week. No pictures at this time but hopefully coming soon.
03/08/08 In the last week we've done a lot of finishing touches on rooms, like completing the picture rail in most of the upstairs bedrooms, and re-wiring some light fixtures and installing them throughout the house. Kass has also completed painting the Living Room, and has now mudded, textured and primed the Half Bathroom as well! Many rooms were updated last night, and we hope by this weekend to add some to the Done list if we can!
02/28/08 Rick is now taking Thursdays off each week with the slow down at his work, so today we did quite a bit actually! In the morning Kassandra sanded down the walls in the Living Room after texturing them earlier in the week. Rick wired in all the plugs & light switches in the Den. We tested them and after fixing one loose nut (wire nut, not Rick) we have working recessed lighting in the Den. With some help from Fred, we worked a little on wiring and have a couple of wall mounted lights by the pocket doors as well as a hanging light in the Parlor! Fred also worked on the wiring and we have live circuits in the entryway as well. Then we loaded the fireplace mantle into Kass' truck and took it down to a furniture stripper & restorer in Estacada, OR. While we had lunch we stopped at a hardware store and picked up some paint color charts to help us decide what color to paint the Living Room. When we returned, we primed the Living Room, and then Rick cut molding and finished the trim around the closet in Alex's Room as well as some of the base molding & picture rail too. Pictures to follow this weekend!
09/25/08 Other than still moving in and adjusting to life in our new (old) home, we haven't been doing too much, unpacking, organizing etc, have taken a lot of time and we still are not done. Fred and Kass have been working on installing the septic pump system for the Basement bathroom and getting things organized to start building the frame of the lower deck. Kass also borrowed a neighbors scaffolding to start working on the exterior just in time for it to start raining. Kass decided that she really wanted to stay warm this winter, so she got insulation for the Attic and some weather stripping for windows and doors. The Attic is now nice and cozy all tucked in with it's R30 insulation.
09/08/08 We finally did it! On September 6th, 2008 we moved into the farm house! Beds and clothes, food and appliances were all in and we hunkered down for a good night's sleep together. Jayden wasn't too sure about sleeping in his room alone, so he spent the night with Mommy & Daddy. <G> First meals were cooked, first baths and showers were taken, television was enjoyed and cries of "Where the heck did we put that away at?!?" were heard the entire weekend. Some picutres have been taken and will be updated into pages as I can, but we're still fine tuning everything in the house and the web page is a little lower on the priority list. Special thanks to neighbor Erin McCart for help with moving the refrigerator and our large mattresses!
09/03/08 Oh my, has it been that long? Needless to say our plans for moving in by September 1st did not bear fruit, but we are sooooo close. In the last few weeks we have hooked up the telephone lines, cable TV, the intercom system, built a closet in the attic space next to the Master Bedroom, made curtains for most of the upstairs rooms, bought a new washing machine and installed it and our old dryer in the Laundry Room, completed the pipes & ditches for the rain drains, prepped the area for the sump pump to go in, and moved many belongings over to the farm house. In fact, making dinner tonight, Rick had to go out to the Kitchen in the old house to get some ingredients! We are truly hoping that this weekend will see us in to the old house finally! Yesterday, we celebrated Kass' birthday with her kids and neighbors Erin & Rachel McCart. Jayden also started his first day of first grade. Last Saturday Rick's band played their first gig since re-forming after four years of not playing. It has been very busy & crazy lately, and we're hoping things will settle down soon.
08/10/08 After a week at the Cressep Bay Campground by Mt. St. Helens, we have returned home and are looking into hooking up the phone lines to the farm house today. Kass' son Rick came out around 11:00 today and we discovered that while we bought the box to mount in the utility room, we did not buy the unit to go into it, so will have to put this project off till another day. Over the past month many things have made their way out to the farm house. It's like we are moving in via osmosis. Pictures, tables, wall hangings... things just keep showing up in the old house. <grin> Neighbor Erin McCart came by and gave us a hand getting the armoire into the Master Bedroom however, so we did at least get something accomplished.
07/17/08 Hay is done for the year! Now we can focus back on the house. Kass arranged most of the furniture in her Parlor and Living Room, both rooms need just a small amount of molding and they will be completed. Kass' digital camera developed a glitch and is in the shop, so Rick took some pics with his cell phone to try and keep things updated. This weekend we are not sure if we will move more stuff into the house, or work on painting the outside of it some!
07/06/08 With much sanding during the week Kass finished prepped the floors in both the Living Room and Parlor. After a coat of paint thinner was left on for 24 hours, we put down the first coat of Waterlox on both rooms. Pictures are available in the room pages. We also set up a scaffolding outside the Living Room windows to begin painting the exterior wall if the weather holds up. Small steps, but each day more gets done!
06/29/08 It's that time of year again; HAY SEASON! We've hauled in a couple loads but in between we're still trying to get the house done. The Living Room and Parlor have had the floors sanded and after a couple touch ups, we will be putting on a coat of paint thinner to prep them, then applying the Waterlox! The Entryway has been sanded a little and Kass did a section with her heat gun. We hope to have it done soon as well. We also found a supplier for the base cap of our floor molding. Once we place an order and it comes in we can stain and put it into the Master Bedroom to finish that room off!
06/15/08 After the party we had a little decompression time. Pretty much did nothing at all on the house for a week. Bills are stacking up and we're looking into options to cut expenses. Meanwhile, over the last week, we cleaned out the Living Room and most of the Parlor to prepare for sanding the floors. Big Rick installed the pull latch & handle on the pocket door into the Laundry Room, a CO2/Propane monitor in the Basement, and he installed the door in the Master Bedroom to go out onto the deck, and repaired the siding along side of it. Kass was feeling a little down this weekend, she managed to do a little caulking around the Kitchen door and then helped Rick put a piece of plywood over the corner of the Basement where the deck will eventually go. For Father's Day, Kass & Jayden found a replica tin of Campfire Marshmallows which he loves and will put out in the Kitchen later on.
06/06/08 While Big Rick had to go to work today, Kass, her parents, her kids, and her daughter's boyfriend cleaned the house out, and finished a lot of touch ups. Three more rooms are done; the Bathroom, the Kitchen and the Laundry Room! Two more nearly so; the Parlor and Living Room! A lot of the little things got done today like trimming the bottom of the Laundry Room door and bits of molding throughout the first floor. Tomorrow we have a party IN the old house to celebrate both it's condition and Kass' daughter Alex Close graduating from Colton High School this year!
06/04/08 We started putting in flooring in the Parlor and Living Room last night. Sadly, it is looking like we didn't get quite enough from Brian & Deb's house at the coast, and will need to pick up some more to finish the rooms, but as of the moment we're not sure how close it will be!
05/29/08 We officially have HEAT in the house!!!! The propane fired boiler was fired up at 4:30PM today! We also now have HOT WATER!!!!
05/27/08 Quick addition, the Fireplace mantle was completed by Dave at Rocky's Furniture in Estacada, OR. Pics on the Living Room page!
05/26/08 A very busy weekend! With three days, we completed three rooms and nearly two more! The Den Room, the Spare Room and the Hallway are all done now except for some very minor touch ups on the paint. The Kitchen will be done as soon as we finish putting in the old wood cook stove, and the Laundry Room will be done when we repair the pocket door that wont quite open due to the floor tile. We cleaned up a lot of the house, and Kass' sister Lisa came out and mopped the upstairs for us. Fred welded a frame to build a heat shield to go behind the wood cook stove in the Kitchen which we got halfway tiled before running out of bricks & steam. <grin> We are having the inspector come out Thursday for the propane, and if all is well we can heat the house and acclimate the flooring to put in the Living Room and Parlor! Things are looking very good for the High School Graduation party planned for June 7th for Kass' daughter Alex!
05/18/08 With Kass & Alex away for the weekend, Rick plunged on a bit on his own. After sanding most of the trim for the Parlor, Den & Living Room he removed and sanded the outside of the Master Bedroom door. At one point he was excited for while sanding he uncovered writing on the back of the header for the china hutch! It was something of a let down when the letters came out to spell "Headers". <laugh> But as he was sanding the Master Bedroom door, words began to leap out as at some point in the past someone had carved writing lightly into the door. At first he thought it was his imagination, but sure enough he found the words "Lovely Rita Meter Maid", a song lyric from The Beatles' "Lovely Rita" on the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album. To prove he wasn't imagining it, across the top of the door, more sanding brought out the words "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", yet another song from the album. Pictures are available in the Master Bedroom page. Also this weekend Ferrell Gas came out and installed out propane tank and hooked it up to the now approved line for the house. When the house was first moved here, Kass put a picture on the website (See "The Big Move") and named the house Lucy. Once the tank was installed, I had the pleasure of sending Kass a phone text message "Lucy has gas".
Left: On May 17th, 2008. Lucy had her first 'case' of gas.
05/11/08 Lots of finishing touches were done this weekend. Nearly completed are both the Laundry Room and the Spare Room. Finishing the closet door will complete the Spare Room, and once we find a supplier with the base molding trim we need, we can complete the Laundry Room and possibly the Kitchen as well! Lots of pictures were put in today, thanks for being patient! This week Rick was running lights for the High School's spring musical, and next weekend he'll be doing that while Kass & Alex head for the State Final for Colton's Oregon High School Equestrian Team! Probably wont see a whole lot on here for the next two weeks, but we'll try to drop a line as things get done. We are expecting our friend Dave to complete the Propane lines very soon, and once we get it approved, the tank installed, filled and working, we can heat the house and acclimate the flooring for the Living Room and Parlor!
05/08/08 Many updates, but still no pictures. Fred and Rick hooked up the remaining water lines to the radiant floor heating manifold to finish off that project. Meanwhile Kass has painted and installed most of the trim in the Kitchen as well as painting and priming the inside of the exterior door. Meanwhile, Fred & Kass contacted a nearby resident who also happens to work with gas lines for a living, and he's been hired to help us install the boiler, water heater and gas lines inside the house. With Fred's help he's installed most of it, and Rick picked up some parts needed yesterday so hopefully it can be finished up Friday or over the weekend! Rick cleaned out the Master Bedroom, so now we can sand the floor and prep it for painting. Kass used a piece of floor molding from another room to finish off the trim on Alex's closet. Her room only needs the PC/phone jack installed, and her bedroom door a coat of paint on the exterior side of it, so we are considering that room finished!
04/27/08 Last week Kass & Alex went to the final OHSET meet of the year, and Alex got five medals! She will be in several events at the State Finals next month just before her graduation! Over the last week and this weekend much has been done. Sorry, no time for pictures but I will try to list all the things we got accomplished! Kass finished sealing the Kitchen floor, then she and her dad took the old wood cook stove from Fred's mother and had it inspected, and it's all ready to go! We put it in the Kitchen and disassembled the upper portion to have Fred fix a weld on it; Rick & Jayden cleaned it out, including the newspaper & Corn Flakes box from 1973! Rick & Kass finished the molding in Alex's room; except for one piece of floor molding we need to buy for the new closet. Rick repaired the hole in the Attic floor, and then installed the main door in the Spare Room, and the new doorplate on the Main Bathroom door. Kass cleaned up the floor and she & Rick installed the pedestal for the sink. Fred ran some wires in the Basement for additional lighting down there and the final smoke detector boxes as well. Rick installed the last smoke detector we had on hand, but we still need two more to finish the house. Rick & Fred also hooked up the radiant floor heating to the manifold except for one circuit, which they need a "T" adaptor to join two lines together first. Then Kass & Fred took turns on the tractor filling in the last of the ditches around the house. Neighbor Erin McCart came over with his tractor and helped level the driveway area behind the house. It's so nice being able to walk all the way around the house! We're so used to looking out the window and seeing the ditches, it's kind of odd seeing smooth ground again!
04/13/08 This weekend Rick & Kass managed to get all the tiles put down in the Kitchen & Laundry Room. Rick cut all the specialty tiles for the room and also cut 150 brick tiles to do a section in the Kitchen where the wood cook stove will go. Kass also got a coat of sealer on the Kitchen floor and two coats on the fireplace hearth in the Living Room plus she got the tile grouted as well! Rick painted Alex's Bedroom floor as well. We also picked up an addition to the family, a new dauschand puppy named Dante.
04/06/08 Kass didn't let the weather hold her back too long, This weekend we laid most of the kitchen floor. We borrowed our neighbors wet saw and went to work on the Slate! Rick was in charge of cutting and kass in charge of laying the slate. It was a time consuming and back breaking job! (little hard on the knees too!) We have about 10 sq. ft left to do and then we can start to grout! Earlier this week, Kass cut several 12x12 slate tiles down to 3"x6" pieces and completed the fireplace hearth and got started on the face of the fireplace too, then the weather turned chilly again and the rest will have to wait for a little warmer weather or heat in the house <S>
3/28/08 Soooo, Kass burned a week of vacation to get some things done on the house during spring break....but it seems mother nature had different ideas.. it SNOWED!!!!. She did manage to finish the Half Bath, paint the floor in the little Spare Room upstairs, paint some molding, get the septic connections inspected (and passed), pick up the stuff to lay the slate floor in the Kitchen (which was her original goal for the week) and take Jayden to his first horse lesson.
03/24/08 Ever have one of those days, when nothing goes right? Well today started that way for me, tried to hang the light fixture in the Bathroom, put it all up and turned it on..nothing.. so I took it apart..and dropped the porcelain socket and it shattered, then I tried to install the last two under cabinet lights, put those up, but I hit the power cable with the rotozip when I was cutting the hole for the box to go in and nicked the wires, not sure how to fix that one yet, will defer to dad..I did mange to sand the front Spare Room floor today, so maybe tomorrow (if all goes well) I can get it primed and install the light fixture in the Laundry Room. I know someday I will probably laugh at all of this...<S>
03/22/08 Kass & Alex went to the March OHSET meet last weekend. This weekend started off on a very sad note; Kassandra's dauschand Tucker was accidentally hit by a neighbor's car and killed Friday evening. He was not in great pain after being struck and simply stopped breathing en route to the veterinarian. We are all in mourning for the loss of our little family member. Saturday morning, Fred, Kass and Rick managed to dig up and tie in the second story septic drain into the septic line. If we are lucky we can pass inspection next week and fill in all the ditches around the house finally! We also hung new lights in the Den Room, Refrigerator area and Alex's room over the last week. No pictures at this time but hopefully coming soon.
03/08/08 In the last week we've done a lot of finishing touches on rooms, like completing the picture rail in most of the upstairs bedrooms, and re-wiring some light fixtures and installing them throughout the house. Kass has also completed painting the Living Room, and has now mudded, textured and primed the Half Bathroom as well! Many rooms were updated last night, and we hope by this weekend to add some to the Done list if we can!
02/28/08 Rick is now taking Thursdays off each week with the slow down at his work, so today we did quite a bit actually! In the morning Kassandra sanded down the walls in the Living Room after texturing them earlier in the week. Rick wired in all the plugs & light switches in the Den. We tested them and after fixing one loose nut (wire nut, not Rick) we have working recessed lighting in the Den. With some help from Fred, we worked a little on wiring and have a couple of wall mounted lights by the pocket doors as well as a hanging light in the Parlor! Fred also worked on the wiring and we have live circuits in the entryway as well. Then we loaded the fireplace mantle into Kass' truck and took it down to a furniture stripper & restorer in Estacada, OR. While we had lunch we stopped at a hardware store and picked up some paint color charts to help us decide what color to paint the Living Room. When we returned, we primed the Living Room, and then Rick cut molding and finished the trim around the closet in Alex's Room as well as some of the base molding & picture rail too. Pictures to follow this weekend!
02/24/08
Today
was quite the mixture of highs and lows. This weekend we
cleaned up a bit in the house, Kass finished up the molding in
the Bathroom and Rick finished the cedar edge to the closet in
Alex's room, and some molding in the Master Bedroom. Last
night we went to Home Depot and purchased a wall light fixture
for the Bathroom. Sunday morning, we wired it in, and Fred
had been working on the panel downstairs. He flipped a few
breakers and VIOLA! We had working lights in the
upstairs!!! Our ceiling vent fan works as well and is VERY
quiet! The ceiling fan & light also worked in Jayden's
room and in the Master Bedroom! Even the light up in the
attic was working! Pardon the pun but, OH what a feeling
of power! <grin> Then, we decided to dig the ditch
from the house to the manufactured house so we could run the
main electricity line into the farmhouse. Unfortunately we
busted the water line AND the septic line. We went from
having some power in the farmhouse, to having no water or septic
in either home. Luckily, fixing the water line was very
simple, and with the septic line snapped, we cut in a junction
and hooked up the 1st floor to the main septic line as well as
our current home, so it was still a profitable little
project. A cute moment, Rick had to run to town to get
some elbows for the ABS septic line, and on the way back, coming
up the driveway, he saw that the light in Jayden's room had been
left on. We hadn't even had power in the house 12 hours
and someone left a light on and no one was home! <grin> 02/20/08 Kass again took an extra day off from work this week to try to get some things done on the house, unfortunately.. she is coming down with a cold and is moving kind of slow but, she was able to complete the painting of the trim in the Bathroom, clean up the house a bit and help Fred (her dad) do some electrical work today. Gail and Mitch from the Sashman come tomorrow to restore the last two windows in the house.
02/07/08 We have had a couple of set backs this week. Kass was putting the first coat of mud on the walls in the Living Room and found a leak in the Southeast corner of the room. Fred and Kass think they may have found the problem and resolved it today, but only time (and rain) will tell. Kass has been working on the house for the last three days. She was able to complete the bead board, put on the base shoe molding, caulk like crazy to prevent any water from seeping underneath, put up the window and door trim. We are still getting water in the Basement, not sure how to resolve that problem at this time, but eventually we will.
02/03/08 Over the last week while Kass finished off the backsplash in the Kitchen, Rick cleaned out most of the Living Room so Kass could work on mudding the sheet rock in there over the next week. After that, they both worked on the Bathroom, cutting and mounting the bead board wainscoting. It looks odd being a green color against the blue walls, like grass growing up with a blue sky above it. <grin> Eventually it will be the same cream color as the trim in most of the rooms upstairs.
01/26/08 It was a VERY cold day today, with a high of 31 and lots of rain. Still with the little propane heater and a plug in air heater, Big Rick managed to get the second coat done in the Bathroom and put in half of the backsplash above the cooktop in the Kitchen. Kass "had the day off" managing a rummage sale for the all night grad party her daughter will be attending when she graduates high school this year. Rick & Jayden had a nice day at home for the most part. :)
01/10/08 Today was a nasty, rainy, stormy day, but that didn't stop Anthony of Anthony's Gutters from coming to install the gutters on the house. However, once he was here and all his ladders were set up, and after much pondering, he decided that Kass was right and that it would be better to wait to do the main house after we build the deck. The metal roof, steep pitch, wide eaves, slimy mud and gusty winds were just not a good combination for he and his co-worker to be up on ladders. They did put the gutters up on the single story section on the back of the house. Hopefully that will alleviate some of the water issues in the Basement so we can get the heating, water and electrical hooked up. time (and rain) will tell. Between taking care of Jayden, helping the vet with the horses and sorting things out with the gutter guy, Kass managed to get a few more cabinet doors completed.
01/06/08 A lot of activities this weekend kept us from doing a whole lot, but we still managed to get a few things done. In Alex's room, Big Rick finished off the framing and built the closet. Just need to hang the bar across the top and it's ready for use! In the Kitchen, Kass has most of the cabinet doors painted and installed and ready for the countertops to be installed on the 16th! In the Basement, Rick & Fred pulled some wires through to the panel. When we do get the power run into the panel most of the house will be ready to go!
01/03/08 Happy New Year! Kass started the year off with a bang! She met with the phone company and figured out a plan to get phone and cable to the house, helped the counter top installer make his template, continued painting the cabinets, installed the final upper cabinet, put on drawer pulls and door knobs. Meanwhile Fred has been toiling away in the Basement sorting through the spider web of wires and circuits so that maybe one day (SOON!) we can have electricity in the house..woohoo!
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